Now I have him!

Hey, take a look at this tidy bit of knitting.

No, it's not a gauge swatch for a new project I'm starting. These neat stitches were knitted up by Darren on Sunday afternoon after just one lesson!

Woo-hoo! My man is a natural knitter!

I admit that Darren's grandma taught him the basics when he was a kid, but it has been more than twenty years since he had last picked up the needles. I showed him how to do a long-tail cast on, and he took to that like a duck to water. (I'm sure many of us have tried to help a beginner and never even gotten past the cast-on during that painful first lesson.)

Then we went to knit the first row. Suddenly, Darren revealed himself to be a Continental knitter. I tried to conceal my joy at that development. (You know, not that there's anything wrong with knitting English style...)

I had him do a bit of garter stitch, then I taught him how to purl. He barely even batted an eye at purling, and just look at those even rows!

I don't want to spook him by acting too excited, but my goal is for him to finish a hat by the end of October.

Good thing he never reads my blog, right?

Comments

[Mark A]

Wow. Continental on day 1. I've been at it on and off for a few years now, and I still only flirt with it. I guess you could say that English is my first language, but I can go both ways...
But not when I purl, which is the main reason I only flirt with the French. (Knot when I purl?)

[Stacy]

I forgot to ask...Are you going to hide or share your stash????

[Stacy]

I once taught a 8-year-old girl who was a natural. She made even stitches and even figured out when she did not finish a stitch, and how to correct it. We never got to purl because I was teaching 3 other kids that night. (BTW, FYI, a knitting party is a great activity for a sleep-over with girls. It is amazing how quiet it got when the girls started playing with yarn. I am not sure what would happen with boys.) I have lost touch with the kid, but I still remember the thrill. I can only hope I "infected" another generation....

[Eric]

But can he knit socks?

[Meema]

Kudos to student and instructor! Dang, that's quick recall.